Chapter 154: The Demonic Trail Reappears

To better experience life in the mortal world, Ji Mo took on the form of an ordinary person and spent six years living there under a succession of different identities. During that time, she had worked as a maid in a wealthy household, a street vendor, a caravan escort, and a bodyguard. She had even passed herself off as a royal adviser through sheer fraud.

Ji Mo had once thought that life in the mortal world would be far simpler and more peaceful than life in the cultivation world. Yet only after immersing herself in it did she discover that, wherever intelligent beings existed, conflict and intrigue were impossible to escape. Mortals might lack the overwhelming destructive power and long lives of cultivators, but that did nothing to lessen their pursuit of the desires within their hearts.

Over those six years, she had experienced countless professions and personally witnessed innumerable clashes between good and evil. She had seen how human beings could go mad in pursuit of their desires, and how many innocent, kind people were buried in the whirlpool those desires created. It was not that she had never encountered people or events capable of moving her, but what she had come to recognize far more clearly was the darkness of human nature and the endless forms of treachery around her. Had she truly been a helpless woman, then during the years she spent as a maid in that wealthy household, she would surely have met with the miserable fate of having nowhere to turn in life and nowhere to be buried in death.

These experiences taught her that whether one was good or evil, if one wished to live according to one’s own will, one had to possess the ability to make that wish a reality. Mortal lives were brief, and their power to destroy was limited, yet those very limitations allowed human nature to reveal itself in all its naked intensity.

Human nature—or rather, the fundamental nature shared by all intelligent life—determined that throughout the heavens and the myriad worlds, wherever intelligent beings existed, there could be no true paradise. Conflict would forever be the central theme of intelligent life. The only difference lay in the kind of life each individual chose to pursue.

As for Ji Mo, she loved a life of freedom, unrestrained by anyone or anything. It sounded like an easily attainable goal, yet putting it into practice was unimaginably difficult. If a person wanted to live freely, without allowing others to determine their fate, then first they had to possess the ability to control that fate themselves. Otherwise, everything was empty talk.

At the same time, no one could live entirely alone. Every person was surrounded by all manner of relationships and responsibilities. If one wished to be free, one needed not only the ability to support oneself, but also the strength to protect those one wished to protect, as well as the capacity to shoulder the responsibilities one ought to bear.

Six years of hard experience had transformed her state of mind once more. The heart that had once wavered upon the path of the Dao had gradually become as firm as stone.

When Ji Mo returned from the mortal world, she could not help thinking of her Second Senior Sister, Chu Qing. When Ji Mo had been eight, Chu Qing seemed to have said something much like this to her. That beautiful, clever woman had always loudly proclaimed that she would open her restaurant in every corner of the cultivation world. Ji Mo wondered whether she was still alive. If she was, then with her skill at brewing wine, combined with Lan Mo and Su Ye’s culinary talents, the three of them might truly have had a chance to create the most renowned restaurant in all the heavens and myriad worlds.

Thinking of her Second Senior Sister, Chu Qing, naturally brought to mind that unreliable Third Senior Brother. Then came Zhao Hu, who had grown up alongside her, followed by Mu Baiyun and all the other senior and junior disciples of the Moon-Watching Sect...

“Master!”

In an ancient town under the rule of the Wind Lan Empire, Ji Mo lay atop the roof of an inn, gazing at the bright moon in the sky as she reminisced about those loved ones from years ago. Her thoughts had wandered so far that tears were faintly visible in her eyes when a clear voice suddenly sounded behind her.

“Lan Mo, Li’er, you’re here.”

The sorrow in Ji Mo’s eyes vanished. She turned to look at the two beautiful women approaching her and greeted them with a smile.

Although Lan Mo was nominally Ji Mo’s martial niece, the girl seemed to have little concept of seniority. The moment she reached Ji Mo’s side, she flopped down beside her without the slightest concern for appearances and began to complain.

“If we hadn’t hurried over, who knows where you would have wandered off to? You, as a master, certainly know how to enjoy yourself. Meanwhile, I, your martial niece, came here to learn cooking, but before I had even begun, I ended up becoming your housekeeper.”

Lan Mo’s complaint was not without cause. During those five years, in order to experience life in the mortal world more fully, Ji Mo had entrusted Qiu Li to Lan Mo’s care. As for cultivation techniques, Ji Mo had already passed two suitable methods to Qiu Li in Falling Parasol Town, according to her spiritual roots. The Heavenly Demon Body-Tempering Art could not be taught casually, but fortunately, Ji Mo had obtained several excellent body-tempering techniques after leaving the Blue Moon Divine Palace and passed one of them on to Qiu Li. Apart from that, Ji Mo had paid no attention to Qiu Li for six whole years.

Nor was Ji Mo the only one. Su Ye was the same. During those six years, Su Ye’s newly accepted disciple, Qiu Hanyun, had also spent most of her time with Lan Mo. The girl had thoroughly become the nursemaid of both Ji Mo and Su Ye.

“As a junior, isn’t it your duty to help your elders with their troubles?”

Ji Mo cast her a sidelong glance and put on the airs of an elder as she pretended to scold her. The girl seemed entirely unfamiliar with either shame or remorse.

Lan Mo was so exasperated that she nearly exploded. She finally understood why Little Gold was forever driven into a fury by this woman, who had been blessed with nothing but a beautiful face.

When Ji Mo saw Lan Mo’s darkening expression, she hurriedly turned her gaze away and looked toward Qiu Li. After giving her a brief examination, she could not help exclaiming in surprise.

“Oh? It’s only been five years, yet Li’er has not only reached the third stage of Transcendent Body Tempering, but has also attained the sixth level of Qi Refinement. At this rate, you’re cultivating much faster than I did back then.”

“Master, you’re teasing me. I’ve heard Senior Uncle say that you were a legend throughout the entire Moon-Watching Sect in your younger days. With a mountain like you standing before me, no matter how hard I work, I’m afraid I can only gaze at your back.”

After five years apart, Qiu Li had not only blossomed into an exceptionally beautiful young woman; her personality had also become remarkably mischievous.

“Little Li’er, you’ve made quite a lot of progress in these years. You even dare to make fun of your master now.”

Ji Mo looked Qiu Li up and down several times, deliberately putting on a stern expression.

“Little Li’er, don’t be afraid of her. She’s best at putting on airs and deliberately frightening people.”

Before Qiu Li could respond, another voice interrupted.

“Little Gold, several years have passed, yet you’re still as irritating as ever.”

Ji Mo seized Little Gold and lifted it into her hand. She had originally intended to rap it hard on the head, but when her finger was about to descend, it somehow turned into a gentle rub instead.

When Little Gold saw that Ji Mo had tossed it aside for five years and now, upon their reunion, not only ignored it but even raised her hand to strike it, its fur began to bristle. Then it suddenly noticed that her palm had changed from a blow to a caress. It stared blankly for a moment before instinctively burrowing closer into her arms and narrowing its eyes.

It liked this warm feeling of being petted very much. Deep in its heart, it could not help thinking that its master really was rather good after all. If only she were not so fierce all the time, and did not beat it whenever the mood struck her, she would be even more perfect.

“Ah!”

A cry filled with terror shattered the silence of midnight. At the same time, a thick scent of blood drifted over on the wind.

Ji Mo frowned, rose to her feet, and looked toward the source of the cry. At her current level, she could see everything within several hundred miles as clearly as she wished. Besides, the source of the sound was barely a dozen miles away.

“Little Gold, Lan Mo, stay here and don’t move. Protect Li’er. It seems there are traces of the demon race ahead!”

Ji Mo narrowed her eyes, placed Little Gold into Qiu Li’s arms, and issued her command.